Delhi Court Extends Protection From Arrest To P Chidambaram, Son Till Nov 26 In Aircel-Maxis Case

Additional Solicitor General Tusshar Mehta told CBI Special Judge O P Saini, "We have to meet a deadline and he (P Chidambaram) is not cooperating."

Outlook Web Bureau

Updated on: 1 November 2018 11:42 am

In the Aircel-Maxis case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, a Delhi court extended the protection from arrest to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti till November 26.

Additional Solicitor General Tusshar Mehta, appearing for the CBI and ED, told CBI Special Judge O P Saini, "We have to meet a deadline and he (P Chidambaram) is not cooperating."

Adding to his statement, he said that the CBI will file its reply to the anticipatory bail application of P Chidambaram on Thursday.

Opposing the anticipatory bail plea of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, the ED on Wednesday had sought the Congress leader's custodial interrogation, claiming that Chidambaram has remained evasive and was not cooperating in the probe and therefore grant of anticipatory bail at this stage would be highly detrimental to the investigation.

It had sought custodial interrogation of P Chidambaram on the ground that he has not been cooperating with it in the probe and hence making it difficult complete the investigation in a time-bound manner as directed by the Supreme Court.

The Aircel-Maxis deal refers to a series of allegations of kickbacks in the telecom sector, which was part of the wider 2G scam that engulfed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

In 2011, former Aircel head C. Sivasankaran complained to the CBI that he was being forced by then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran to sell Aircel to the Malaysia-based Maxis Communications group owned by T. Ananda Krishnan.

The senior Congress leader's role had come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500 crore and INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.

The CBI was conducting a probe as to how Chidambaram, who was the finance minister in 2006, granted Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm when only Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.

The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis deal in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency.

(With inputs from agencies)